Tapioca makes a great pudding base, and it was a favourite in our household when I was growing up. It’s a simple dessert to prepare and great comfort food for the Winter. Since it has quite a neutral taste, almost anything can be added for flavouring.
Tapioca comes from the cassava root – a plant originating in Brazil but now common across Africa, South America and Asia as its root is nutritious and can be used for making many types of food. In these parts it comes in pearl or flour form (used as a gluten free alternative to wheat flour), and it’s the pearls I use.
Apparently, there is a thing called “bubble tea” that is all the rage in Taiwan and Asian communities around the world – it’s tea or fruit drinks served with tapioca balls mixed in. I must try that sometime, but I digress… All things must come back to chocolate, and since I did a black and white drink, why not a black and white dessert?
Try this for a simple and delicious end to a meal:
Cocoa Tapioca Recipe (served with vanilla ice cream)
100 gm tapioca Pearls
50 gm cocoa (pure, unsweetened)
50 gm sugar
700 ml milk
What to do:
1. Mix the cocoa and sugar together.
2. Add 100 ml of the milk in small parts, mixing until you have a smooth paste.
3. Transfer into a small saucepan, add the rest of the milk and tapioca, and heat over a low flame.
4. Stir continuously, keeping the pudding just below a simmer, until the pudding thickens and the pearls become clear (about 20 minutes).
5. Top with vanilla ice cream and serve!
Serves 4
Technorati tags: tapioca, vanilla, chocolate, cocoa, pudding, recipe
